Police say a southern Utah mother is under arrest after a seriously malnourished 12-year-old boy was found locked in a filthy bathroom.

The Spectrum newspaper in St. George reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/2ieNbT3) the child's father discovered him in the feces-strewn bathroom that had two latches on the door and a few empty cans of beans in the shower.

Court documents say the child weighed just 30 pounds and was hospitalized in what a doctor called the worst case of malnutrition he'd seen.

The 36-year-old Toquerville woman was arrested on suspicion of child abuse. The Associated Press is not naming her to avoid identifying the boy. Her lawyer did not immediately return a call for comment.

Police say the woman said the boy wanted to sleep in the bathroom and she tried to feed him protein shakes.